Americans United - Treaty of Tripolihttps://www.au.org/tags/treaty-tripoli-0
enTalking Turkey: A Holiday Guide For Responding To Your Uncle Who Loves Fox News https://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/talking-turkey-a-holiday-guide-for-responding-to-your-uncle-who-loves-fox
<a href="/about/people/simon-brown">Simon Brown</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">I don’t recommend starting a fight over the dinner table, but sometimes the followers of the Religious Right are determined to stir things up.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>While the Religious Right crows about a <a href="http://www.becketfundcommunity.org/emailviewonwebpage.aspx?erid=6675492&amp;trid=0f7ee946-8d25-4702-a950-f521229f9126">new phony “war” on Thanksgiving</a>, you may soon find yourself seated at the dinner table next to someone who insists on promoting the false notion that church-state separation isn’t found in the Constitution or that the Founding Fathers were all right-wing Christians.</p><p>I don’t recommend starting a fight over the dinner table, but sometimes the followers of the Religious Right are determined to stir things up. If you feel like engaging in a little post-pumpkin pie debate, you might find the following helpful. It’s a list of responses that debunk the common myths propagated by the fundamentalists in your family who think churches are under attack or believe public schools would be better off with more prayer.</p><p><strong>Myth 1: The</strong> <strong>United States was founded to be a “Christian nation.”</strong> The United States was most certainly not founded to be an officially Christian nation. The U.S. Senate and President John Adams said as much in the <a href="http://candst.tripod.com/tnppage/tripoli.htm">Treaty of Tripoli</a> (1797): “As the Government of the United States is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion….” There is also the fact that Jesus (and God for that matter) is not mentioned even once in the body of the Constitution. Many of the Founding Fathers were Deists who were familiar with the bloody religious wars to which Europe had been subjected for hundreds of years. They had no interest in recreating religious strife in a new nation by forcing an official religion on citizens.</p><p><strong>Myth 2: Church-state separation is not found in the U.S. Constitution. </strong>As famed church-state lawyer Leo Pfeffer once explained: “It is true, of course, that the phrase ‘separation of church and state’ does not appear in the Constitution. But it was inevitable that some convenient term should come into existence to verbalize a principle so widely held by the American people….” In other words, church-state separation is a summary of the Constitution’s religion clauses. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. James Madison is widely considered to be the “father of the Constitution,” and he was a primary drafter of the First Amendment. In a document known as the “Detached Memoranda,” Madison wrote, “Strongly guarded…is the separation between religion and &amp; Gov’t in the Constitution of the United States….” Your Pat Robertson-loving relatives may disagree, but their beef is with Madison, not you.</p><p><strong>Myth 3: Churches</strong> <strong>are facing persecution. </strong>Please! Houses of worship enjoy a position of great privilege in America. Churches do not pay taxes. They do not even have to file forms with the IRS to obtain that tremendous tax-free benefit. They can’t be forced to perform anyone’s marriage ceremony. They are exempt from all sorts of anti-discrimination laws when it comes to hiring and firing employees and are routinely exempted from a host of other laws. And when officials in Houston, Texas, recently tried to subpoena some pastors’ sermons, the public outcry was so swift and loud that the <a href="http://www.chron.com/news/politics/houston/article/Mayor-set-to-make-announcement-on-sermon-subpoenas-5855458.php">subpoenas were withdrawn</a>. How is any of that persecution?</p><p><strong>Myth 4: Kids can’t pray in public schools. </strong>Although multiple decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court struck down <em>mandatory and coercive</em> prayer and Bible reading in public schools, students maintain considerable rights if they wish to pray. Students in public schools may pray individually or in small groups provided they are not disruptive and do not infringe on the rights of others. They may also read the Bible or other religious texts during their free time.</p><p><strong>Myth 5: Churches</strong> <strong>must be silent on politics. </strong>The federal tax code states that all organizations with tax-exemption under Section 501(c)(3), including houses of worship, may not endorse or oppose candidates for office. But that doesn’t mean churches cannot get involved with political matters. Churches are free to discuss ballot initiatives, engage in issue advocacy, lead voter registration drives and even host non-partisan candidate forums. But in doing so, they must not give the impression that any one candidate is favored over others. They may also distribute voter guides, provided such guides are truly non-partisan.</p><p>These facts should offer you a quick retort for the Religious Right’s most common myths about the separation of church and state. But of course, some people simply cannot be reasoned with. So if Uncle Frank refuses to accept that the First Amendment guarantees church-state separation, or Aunt Mildred is insistent that Christian “persecution” is real, perhaps it’s best to just let them rant while you have another helping of stuffing.</p></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/responding-common-attacks-church-state-separation">Responding to Common Attacks on Church-State Separation</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/treaty-tripoli-0">Treaty of Tripoli</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/james-madison">James Madison</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/john-adams">John Adams</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/thanksgiving">thanksgiving</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/leo-pfeffer">Leo Pfeffer</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/irs">IRS</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/founding-fathers">Founding Fathers</a></span></div></div>Wed, 26 Nov 2014 16:43:27 +0000Simon Brown10692 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/talking-turkey-a-holiday-guide-for-responding-to-your-uncle-who-loves-fox#commentsFounded On Freedom: Treaty With Tripoli Reminds U.S. Of Our Origins https://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/founded-on-freedom-treaty-with-tripoli-reminds-us-of-our-origins
<a href="/about/people/bathija">Sandhya Bathija</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>A new year is just getting started and Religious Right activists are already agitating for a government based on their fundamentalist Christian beliefs.</p>
<p>Blogger Shane Vander Hart <a href="http://caffeinatedthoughts.com/2011/01/why-thinking-government-should-exclude-religion-is-wrong/">discusses</a> a new book by Dr. Wayne Grudem, professor of systematic theology at Phoenix Seminary, called <em>Politics According to the Bible</em>. In Grudem’s tome, he claims that anyone who thinks the government should exclude religion is plain wrong.</p>
<p>Grudem and Hart believe groups that advocate for that view don’t want religious people to participate in public life or vote. They argue that Americans United and our allies just want religious people to be quiet and stay home.</p>
<p>But if they really took a moment to understand Americans United and our mission, they would see that’s not at all what we advocate. We believe all Americans, religious or not, should participate in our democracy, at least if they choose to do so.</p>
<p>We only insist is that no one should try to impose his or her religion on others through governmental force. The government should remain neutral on matters of faith, in order to make the United States a welcoming place for believers and non-believers alike.</p>
<p>That was the intention of the nation’s founders. Not only is this clear in Constitution, it is further supported by other early governmental documents, including the Treaty with Tripoli, which celebrated its 214th anniversary yesterday.</p>
<p>Most of the document, which unanimously passed the U.S. Senate and became the law of the land by June 10, 1797, dealt with commercial matters and procedures for maritime trade. But Article 11 included an important section on religious freedom.</p>
<p>The article reads in part, “As the government of the United States of America is not founded in any sense on the Christian religion – as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion or tranquility of Musselmen [Muslims] – and as the said states have never entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mahometan nation, it is declared by the parties, that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.”</p>
<p>It couldn’t be any clearer that our founders did not intend the United States to be an officially Christian nation, or to have a government that enforces a particular religion.</p>
<p>Grudem and Hart may not value keeping religion and government separate, but they should. It’s because of church-state separation that they are free to practice the faith of their choice.</p>
<p>All Americans deserve that freedom. But if the Religious Right continues to lobby the government to base our laws on their narrow fundamentalist viewpoint, that freedom could be lost for all.</p>
<p>Grudem and Hart may not care – so long as their faith rules – but I’m pretty sure most Americans would.</p>
<p>Our Founders knew that the only way to ensure religious freedom was to keep religion and government separate. That’s the idea they articulated 214 years ago in the Treaty of Tripoli, and it’s proven to be quite the success.</p>
<p>For the full back story on the Treaty of Tripoli, check out <a href="http://www.au.org/resources/history/old-docs/joel-barlow-and-the-treaty.pdf">this article</a> by my colleague Rob Boston.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.au.org/resources/history/old-docs/joel-barlow-and-the-treaty.pdf"><br /></a></p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/history-and-origins-church-state-separation">History and Origins of Church-State Separation</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/christian-nation">christian nation</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/church-state-milestones">Church-State Milestones</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/religious-freedom">religious freedom</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/treaty-tripoli-0">Treaty of Tripoli</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/wayne-grudem">Wayne Grudem</a></span></div></div>Tue, 04 Jan 2011 21:25:35 +0000Sandhya Bathija2495 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/founded-on-freedom-treaty-with-tripoli-reminds-us-of-our-origins#commentsObama In Cairo: President Says Religious Liberty Is Necessary For World Peacehttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/obama-in-cairo-president-says-religious-liberty-is-necessary-for-world
<a href="/about/people/bathija">Sandhya Bathija</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Islam is part of America. Judaism is part of America. Christianity is part of America. And so are many, many other faith traditions, as well as those who follow no spiritual path at all.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>We're sure in the coming days we're going to hear a lot of grunting from Religious Right groups over President Barack Obama's speech in Cairo this morning.</p>
<p>After all, his address, intended to improve relations between Islam and the West, celebrated religious diversity, reached out to Muslims and discussed how important it is to tolerate the beliefs of others. Not exactly what the Religious Right would want to hear.</p>
<p>But <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/04/us/politics/04obama.text.html?pagewanted=1&amp;_r=2">Obama's speech</a> provided our nation -- and the world -- with an accurate lesson in American history.</p>
<p>The president noted that America has always welcomed people of diverse opinions about religion.</p>
<p>"We are shaped," he said, "by every culture, drawn from every end of the Earth, and dedicated to a simple concept: E pluribus unum: 'Out of many, one.'"</p>
<p>The president cited the U.S. Treaty with Tripoli, which insists that "the Government of the United States of America...has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquility, of [Muslims]." (And, we might add, insists that our government "is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion.")</p>
<p>The Senate <a href="http://www.thenation.com/doc/20050221/allen">ratified the treaty</a> in a unanimous vote in 1796, and it was endorsed by President John Adams. It was also printed in the Philadelphia Gazette and two New York newspapers without any evidence of public dissent.</p>
<p>The treaty serves to disprove what many on the right continue to teach – the false notion that our Founding Fathers meant for our country to be officially Christian.</p>
<p>Obama today urged adoption of religious liberty for all.</p>
<p>"People in every country," he said, "should be free to choose and live their faith based upon the persuasion of the mind, heart, and soul. This tolerance is essential for religion to thrive....</p>
<p>"Freedom of religion is central to the ability of peoples to live together," he continued. "We must always examine the ways in which we protect it."</p>
<p>Obama celebrated the role of Muslim-Americans, making it clear that they are an important part of our nation.</p>
<p>"American Muslims have enriched the United States," he said. "They have fought in our wars, served in government, stood for civil rights, started businesses, taught at our Universities, excelled in our sports arenas, won Nobel Prizes, built our tallest building, and lit the Olympic Torch. And when the first Muslim-American was recently elected to Congress, he took the oath to defend our Constitution using the same Holy Koran that one of our Founding Fathers – Thomas Jefferson – kept in his personal library.... So let there be no doubt: Islam is a part of America."</p>
<p>Islam is part of America. Judaism is part of America. Christianity is part of America. And so are many, many other faith traditions, as well as those who follow no spiritual path at all.</p>
<p>It's what Americans United has been saying from the start, and we applaud Obama for upholding religious freedom and diversity in his speech today.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/churches-and-politics">Churches and Politics</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/cairo">Cairo</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/founding-fathers">Founding Fathers</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/islam">Islam</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/middle-east">Middle East</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/obamas-speech-cairo">Obama&#039;s speech in Cairo</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/religious-liberty">Religious Liberty</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/religious-right-0">Religious Right</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/treaty-tripoli-0">Treaty of Tripoli</a></span></div></div>Thu, 04 Jun 2009 19:18:56 +0000Sandhya Bathija2357 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/obama-in-cairo-president-says-religious-liberty-is-necessary-for-world#comments